Coming off the best year in the school history, Oklahoma State showed that they haven't slowed down, and won't be doing so anytime soon; and they have the uniforms to prove it.
Even after Dana Holgorsen's move to West Virginia (eventually ascending to the head coaching job), new offensive coordinator Todd Monken has fit in well as the Cowboys will be looking to settle for nothing less than the 11 wins from last season. Of course being ranked in the Pre-Season Top 10 - due in part to the return of QB Brandon Weeden and WR Justin Blackmon - helped raise expectations in Stillwater. After coming oh so close to earning a berth in BCS games the last 3 seasons, not too many people are surprised by the "BCS or Bust" mode.
The Cowboys opened up with a 61-34 win over the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette, and will have a very tricky set of fixtures in their next 3 games. They play Arizona at home, before taking to the road to face Texas A&M and Tulsa. None of these games are "gimmes"; they are capable of losing them just as they are of winning them. That being said, they'll more than likely be favored in all 3.
Outside of Weeden and Blackmon, running back Joseph Randle stepped in to fill the shoes of the departed Kendall Hunter. During spot appearances last season, Randle showcased his ability as an all-purpose back; he's a very good receiver out of the backfield and can run between the tackles as well as around the corners. He may not have that "make the first man miss" ability like Hunter, but it's not like there's been a downgrade at the position.
Also making an impact were receivers Tracy Moore, Isaiah Anderson and Michael Harrison. Since Blackmon will more than likely receive a lot of double teams from defenses (not like it'll matter), and Josh Cooper doing a lot of damage underneath, Weeden will need vertical options down the field who are also physical enough to battle for jump balls should the need arise. Anderson and Harrison did well on the road against Kansas State - a game in which Blackmon was suspended - when they received extended playing time.
There was a some discontent among "Poke Nation" after the Cowboys gave up 34 points to the Ragin' Cajuns. That would be a concern to anyone, but for what it's worth, this game wasn't much of contest by the time the 4th Quarter came around. What would the Cajun faithful say about their team which gave up 61? Just wondering.
Arizona will be the Cowboy's first major test of the season, but they should be fine if they just keep doing what they're doing. The team has yet to lose a Thursday night game under Mike Gundy, and I doubt that this will change in this fixture.
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